Collapsible paste-tube.



S. S. TAINTER.

COLLAPSIBLE PASTE TUBE- APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23. I916.

'" Patented. Feb.12,1918.

mssms.

INVEMWI resents.

SIMON S. TAINTER, 0F WELD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GUY O. GARDNER, OF

DIXFIELD, MAINE.

GOLLAPSIBLE PASTE-TUBE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON S. TAINTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Weld, in the county of Franklin and State of Maine, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Collapsible Paste- Tubes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a new and useful improvement in collapsible paste tubes. In the construction of collapsible tubes for paste or pasty compounds of various kinds there is usually provided a rigid nipple for the tube through which the paste is expelled, and some sort of a closure device to close the aperture in the nipple when the tube is not in use. Sometimes the closure device consists of a pin or some other kind of a plug which is inserted in the aperture when the tube is not in use. Sometimes a cap is provided which is set up to cover the aperture when the tube is not in use. In all the forms of closure devices however heretofore employed the closure has to be operated by hand and more or less of the paste exudes from the aperture after the user has finished using it and before he can close the discharge aperture. One object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cap which is normally held closed under tension, and which when it is opened, automatically closes as soon as it is free to close. Another object is to provide means whereby the cap will be opened automatically when the tube is collapsed or squeezed to expel any of the paste, and which will automatically close as soon as the pressure on the tube is released.

Another feature of the invention relates to means whereby the cap may be locked in its closed position.

The invention will be more fully understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claim at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a paste tube provided with a top embodying the invention, showing the cap in unlocked position so that the device may be operated to open the cap by simply squeezing the tube. a

Fig. 2 is an elevation, the lower part of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented JFeb. i2, ieia.

Application filed December 23, 1916. Serial No. 138,531.

the tube being broken away, showing the cap closed and in the locked position.

Fig. 3 is an elevation partly in section through the cap showing the parts in the same position as in Fig. 1.

Fig.4 is a sectional view showing the position of the cap when it is lifted from its seat to open the nipple when the tube is squeezed. v

Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section showing the nipple with the cap removed.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the cap detached.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents the body of the paste tube of flexible metal, similar to the ordinary collapsible paste tube, formed with a rigid upper end 2 provided with a rigid nipple 3 having a tapered head 4 which serves as a valve, as will be hereinafter described. The nipple is groovedat 31, forming a neck 5 through which are formed the apertures 6 leading into the hollow interior 7 of the nipple.

A cap 8 fits with a sliding fit over the nipple 3 and is formed with an aperture 9 in its outer end adapted to be closed by the tapered head 4: of the nipple. The cap is formed with a tapered passage 10 leading to the aperture 9, said passage being tapered to correspond with the tapered side 11 of the head 4: and forms a ground seat for the head of the nipple so that when said head is seated the aperture 9 will be entirely closed by the head of the nipple. The nipple head 4:, therefore, forms a valve adapted to close the outlet orifice 9 in the cap. When said head is on its seat, as shown in Fig. 3, there is'a chamber 12 between the neck 5 of the nipple and the wall of the cap, said chamber connecting with the interior of the nipple by the aperture 6.

A coiled spring 13 surrounds the nipple 3. The lower end of said spring rests on a shoulder 14 on the cap and the outer end is restrained against movement when the cap moves outward with relation to the nipple. The means which are shown for restraining the movement of the outer end of the spring is a pin 15 which projects from the outer periphery of thenipple and engages the outer end of the spring so that when the cap is moved outward with relation to the nipple, the said spring 13 will be contracted, and when the'outward pull or pressure on the cap is released, the said spring will conoccasion to frequently use thepaste at short tract and pull the cap back on to its seat.

In order to prevent the cap from being removed entirely from the nipple and in order to limit the extent of its movement, the cap is formed with a slot.16 through which the pin 15 projects, the greatest width-of said slot longitudinally of the cap being somewhat greater than the diameter of the pin 15 so that the range of movement of the cap will be equal to the excesswidth of the slot over the diameter of the pin.

Preferably said slot is elongated circumferentially of the cap and is narrowed toward one end so that at the end 17 it is of no greater width than the diameter of the pin. By rotating the cap on the nipple far enough to bring the pin 15 into the narrow end 17 of the slot, the cap will be locked against outward or longitudinal movement with relation to the nipple. The upper side 18 of the slot is at right angles to the axis of the cap, while the lower or inner side 19 of the slot is inclined, thus insuring that when the pin is in the narrow end of the slot the cap will be-locked in its-closed position, as shown 1n Fig. 2, but when it is rotated to bring the pin into the-wide end' of the slot, as shown in Fig. 1, the cap is permitted an outward or opening movement. This opening movement of the cap may, of course, be done by hand, but itis not intended to be so operated, and normally the cap will remain closed by the tension of the spring 13, even when the pin projects through the wide end of the slot. In operation, 1f the tube is squeezed slightly this tends to drive some of the contents of the tube outwardly through the nipple. The spring 13 is of rather light power, being only suflicient to readily retain the cap on its seat under normal conditions, but it yields under the pressure of the contents of the tube through the aperture of the nipple and the chamber 12 a ainst the inclined face 10 at the outer end 0 the cap." This forces the said cap oif of its seat a short distance suflicient to allow the paste to pass out around the conical end 4: of the nipple and out through the aperture 9. As soon as the compression of the tube is released the spring 13 will pull back the cap to its seat entirely closing the outlet aperture 9 without any positive act on the part of the user.

If the user in the course of his work has intervals, he will leave the cap in the operative position shown in Fig. 2, so that it is always ready to use. When he is temporarily throughv using it he can simply lay it or toss it down on the table and it closes automatically but it is ready for immediate use at any t1me again. When, however, he is through with it for any great length of time, or more especially if he wishes to secure it against being accidentally operated in careless handling, or desires to pack it for traveling purposes and wishes to insure that it shall not be accidentally collapsed so as to smear articles in proximity to it, the cap will be rotated sufiiciently to bring the pin into the narrow part of the slot and when so positioned the squeezing of the tube will not expel any of the paste because the cap cannot be moved outward.

What I claim is:

In combination with a collapsible paste tube, a nipple therefor, having a discharge aperture, a cap for said nipple slidable longitudinally and also rotatable thereon, said cap being formed with an outlet aperture therein, the outer end of the nipple normally closing the aperture in the cap, said nipple and cap being so constructed that when the cap is unseated there will be formed a passage from the discharge aperture in the nipple to the discharge aperture in the cap, said cap being formed with an elongated transverse slot in one side, the upper side of the slot throughout its length being in a plane at right angles to the axis of the cap. the lower side of the slot throughout its length being in a plane inclined to the axis of the cap, a pin secured to the nipple and projecting through said slot, the diameter of the pin being less than the wider end of the slot, and a spring within the cap which holds the cap seated in closed pos1 the cap movable longitudinally under pressure to unseat the cap when the pin is in the wider end of the slot.

In testimony whereofI afiix my signature.

S IMON S. TAINTER. 

